I feel privileged to have lived long enough to see the baby become King Charles.
I wonder if his critics would have weathered his kind of life with such dignity and resilience.
Anne Martin, Helensville.
Double negative
This weekend is not when Not-My-King’s birthday falls.
J. Livingstone, Remuera.
Seymour’s elevation
I find the elevation of David Seymour to the office of Deputy Prime Minister a trifle worrisome. His statement about a coalition colleague, Chris Bishop, possibly being right when he called Stan Walker’s part in the Aotearoa Music Awards “a load of crap” doesn’t bode well for his tenure.
Does Seymour understand that ministers of the Crown represent their office, political party and Government whether in or outside Parliament?
I hope this comment of Seymour’s doesn’t indicate the quality of leadership we can expect for the next 18 months when the PM is away from home.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Good luck, David
Congratulations to David Seymour on being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister. He’s a man of his word, who isn’t afraid of tackling controversial issues. Good luck.
Lorraine Kidd, Warkworth.
Money more important
I think all of us are appalled by what is happening on a daily basis in Gaza. The United Nations rightly condemns the ongoing actions of Isreal. Yet its member countries, including New Zealand, continue to export a wide range of goods to Israel. It seems money is more important than principle.
David Hood, Hamilton.
Elite club membership
Why the hesitation in banning Philip Polkinghorne from the elite Northern Club? I would think the drug offences alone would be a solid reason not to want him around.
Beth Jarrett, Te Kūiti.
Protect Hauraki Gulf
Indisputably, the Hauraki Gulf is Auckland’s jewel in the crown. However, over the past 100 or so years, we have collectively not protected our most important asset. The Gulf has gradually been degraded by sedimentation, wastewater pollution and overfishing.
We need to act now. The Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill continues to allow bottom-trawling by commercial fishers. The rules are a complex mishmash that are difficult to follow and will be harder to police.
A simple way of protecting the Gulf is to ban all “commercial” fishing. At the same time, the maximum limit for catching snapper should be reduced from seven to five per person.
Sir David Attenborough’s documentary Ocean graphically shows the damage bottom-trawling and scallop-dredging does.
For Fisheries Minister Shane Jones, it should be compulsory viewing. He needs to make the right call now before the Hauraki Gulf is irrecoverably ruined.
As Attenborough said, “protection is power”.
Mark van Praagh, Hobsonville Point.
On primary health organisations
An article in the Herald (May 31) outlines some of the issues surrounding competition among primary health organisations (PHOs) to acquire general practices; not a new phenomenon but increasing recently as new investors, often from overseas, see opportunities to achieve great incomes.
The capitation payment system, in operation for decades, allows for significant regular income for practices, with payment mediated via a contract with a PHO. The annual income depends on the category in which patients lie – pensioner, juvenile, adult – as the annual payment varies within these categories.
Thus, a practitioner’s main income is predictable, provided patient numbers are maintained and certain procedures are undertaken, as expenses are covered by the contract.
With the worry that one’s income no longer starts at 11am on Thursdays, an opportunity to see fewer patients and devote more time to each is presented. Some have taken this to the extreme, however, meaning fewer work sessions per week. Not quite the GP-patient interaction originally intended!
The problem of patient numbers per GP is not simply a matter of importing some or even redistribution. More subsidised students with bonded contracts, such as were evident in the 1980s and 90s, would be a start, while resisting the negativity from the Auckland Medical School for the establishment of one in Waikato would lead to more qualified doctors each year.
Now there’s a thought.
Dr Bryan Frost FRNZCGP(L), Blockhouse Bay.
